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Wednesday, July 20, 2005

SMITH AND GEPPERT JOINS CUMMINS BRISBANE START UP

Following the announcement of its new agency venture in Brisbane, cummins&partners has recruited one of the town’s top teams as joint Creative directors.Mark Smith and Andy Geppert will depart Publicis Mojo Brisbane to be the founding staff of the new agency.

“The heart and soul of any agency is its creative people. It is appropriate that our first appointments are these two guys” says CEO Sean Cummins. “They have an excellent swag of ideas that cover all channels and disciplines, and they understand the Brisbane market very well. They are quietly very ambitious and have a gleam in their eye that suggests a very exciting future.I had been watching the Brisbane market for some time and I kept noticing some lovely work. And it all came from Mark and Andy.

“I am under no illusions that the Brisbane market has its own idiosyncrasies. cummins&partners will be as Queensland in attitude as any agency . My parents come from two of Queensland’s oldest families and I have a long held affection for the place. Where other 'southern' agencies may have fallen short is believing that Queensland is needing some help. It doesn’t. It is robust, creative and capable of world class work. We want to join that dynamic.

"You only have to see the creative work coming out of Miami and Portland Oregon to know that creativity knows no geography” says Cummins.

Says Smith and Geppert: “We’re here because we believe creativity is a mindset, not a geographical science. There is nothing to stop us producing work that people love for Brisbane clients; we know this because we’ve already done it. There’s a real sense of dynamism and progress in South East Queensland right now, a feeling that anything is possible. It’s great to be part of this, and working for an agency that’s as highly regarded as cummins&partners. People see our work and think it’s come out of Sydney or London. They’re surprised now, but it’s only a matter of time before Brisbane is accepted as a creative hub in its own right.

"There’s a lot of talk about budget constraints and conservatism in this market. But the fact is, we’ve worked with some incredibly intelligent and passionate people who appreciate the value of great work. And if there’s one thing we’ve found, it’s this: if the idea is big enough, there is no shortage of talented people knocking on your door to be a part of it.”